HP Omen 17t (i7-8750H, GTX 1070) Laptop Review

Quiet Giant. The Omen 17t is a well-balanced notebook. Its internals are consistently powerful, its 144 Hz G-Sync display is one of the best on the market, and it manages heat and noise with aplomb. With its competitive pricing, the Omen 17t is one of the best overall packages in the gaming laptop market.

When you think of powerful gaming laptops, what names come to mind? Brands like Asus, MSI, and Alienware dominate this space. While HP is a big player in other notebook markets, they've struggled to gain traction in the high-end gaming segment. That may change with the Omen 17t.

We've seen a few Omen machines in the past, and they usually compete well. However, the brand isn't known for bringing anything new to the table. Rather, HP's gaming line seems more reactive than proactive, choosing to pick up features introduced by other brands. The Omen 17t is no different in that regard, but instead of merely reflecting its competition, the laptop feels like more a refinement of trends we've seen in gaming laptops over the past year. The result is a machine that strikes a good balance in terms of performance, features, heat management, and noise output. To top it off, the Omen 17t is priced aggressively, starting at USD $1530 from Computer Upgrade King. Our review unit is configured with a 512 GB boot SSD and 16 GB of RAM, bringing the price to $1750.

The HP Omen 17t has the same chassis as the HP Omen 17 we reviewed last summer, save for one small difference. The newer Omen 17t has dropped the optical drive, leaving an empty cavity inside the machine's case. Everything else has been carried over from the older device. As such, we will include a few pictures of the restyled internals but will eschew discussion of the exterior case, including the ports, build quality, and input devices. For more details on these pieces of the Omen 17t, please refer to our original HP Omen 17 here.

Display

Subpixel array

The Omen 17t's screen is one of its greatest strengths. The AU Optronics panel's best feature is undoubtedly its 144 Hz refresh rate with support for Nvidia's G-Sync. In addition, response times are lightning fast, and PWM is absent. Currently, this configuration (144 Hz, IPS, FHD) is the only one available for the Omen 17t. The screen is bright (~320 nits on average) and beats most competitors, which average between 250-300 nits. The backlight is also fairly even (87% distribution). Contrast levels are good; blacks are deep and images look crisp and detailed. All these details, combined with good color reproduction (more on that below), create a great all-around display.

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Color space coverage is fairly good. The Omen 17t's panel covers most of the sRGB color space (90%) and a little more than half the AdobeRGB color space (58%), putting it in line with most of its competitors. While professionals may want more colors, the color space is more than adequate for gaming. Those looking for wider color reproduction should look at EVGA's SC17.

vs sRGB: 90%

vs AdobeRGB: 58%

As mentioned, color accuracy is excellent. Out of the box, the DeltaE2000 for colors averages about 3.74. This is on the better side of average for a gaming laptop. The Omen 17t could also be used for some colorwork, though it falls just short what is generally considered acceptable for professionals (DeltaE2000 of 3 or below). Calibration improves this score slightly, suggesting that the display may have been calibrated prior to being sent to us. The Aorus X9 DT, which uses the same AU Optronics panel, shows that there is some room for improvement. Some users may be able to improve the display's color accuracy.

ColorChecker

ColorChecker (calibrated)

Grayscale

Grayscale (calibrated)

Saturation Sweeps

Saturation Sweeps (calibrated)

Display Response Times

ℹ

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.

↔ Response Time Black to White

10 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined

↗ 4.8 ms rise

↘ 5.2 ms fall

The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.8 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 6 % of all devices are better.This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (25.7 ms).

↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey

17.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined

↗ 10 ms rise

↘ 7.6 ms fall

The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.9 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 7 % of all devices are better.This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (41 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

ℹ

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.

Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 52 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 9152 (minimum: 43 - maximum: 142900) Hz was measured.

The viewing angles of the display are excellent. Since the Omen 17t uses an IPS panel, this should be expected. There is a slight grain on the matte finish that becomes visible when the screen is viewed off-angle, particularly from above. You can see this in the third viewing angle photo below (down-left). Otherwise, this grain isn't distracting. There is a slight amount of backlight bleed in the upper-left and upper-right corners. This is minuscule and isn't readily noticeable.

Since the panel gets reasonably bright, outdoor use is possible. Under shade, the display remains visible. Pictures and text look clear and colors look vivid. In direct sunlight, the screen becomes much harder to see. Pictures can be made out, but most users' eyes will strain to see them under the sun.

Slight backlight bleed in the upper corners.

Outdoors, direct sunlight

Outdoors, shade

Performance

The internals of the Omen 17t are well-balanced. The hexacore Intel Core i7-8750H compliments the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 GPU well, resulting in a finely-tuned gaming laptop that can often push enough pixels to take advantage of its high-refresh rate display without generating an exorbitant amount of heat or noise. There is room for improvement, but the overall experience is excellent.

CPU-Z: CPU

CPU-Z: Caches

CPU-Z: Mainboard

CPU-Z: Memory

CPU-Z: SPD

GPU-Z

HWiNFO64

Processor

We've seen the Intel Core i7-8750H in several gaming laptops since its release earlier this year, and the processor has proved itself to be a worthy upgrade over last year's Kaby Lake Core i7-7700HQ. The 2 additional cores often improve multithreaded benchmarks by close to 50%, and that is indeed what we see here. Compared to the Asus G752VS, which uses the 7700HQ, the Omen 17t scores 45% better in Cinebench R15's multi-core test. There are more powerful options available, however. Intel's Core i9-8950HK beats the Omen 17t by 28%. AMD's desktop Ryzen 7 1700, which continues to dominate our CPU benchmarks, bests the Omen 17t by 31%. Keep in mind that the Ryzen 7 1700 has a TDP of 65 W compared to the 8750H's 45 W.

Long-term CPU performance is consistent, if a bit subdued. In our Cinebench R15 loop, the Omen 17t settles in at about 980 cb, about 9% lower than its single-pass score. There are some small spikes and dips (+/- 2%), but these shouldn't adversely affect performance. When unplugged, the Omen 17t averages 1020-1035 cb, or about a 5% reduction in performance.

For more information on the Intel Core i7-8750H, please see our dedicated CPU page here.

System Performance

As is to be expected, overall system performance is good. The Omen 17t sits a bit above most of its competitors in PCMark 8's benchmarks. This translates to a highly responsive system in everyday use. Most apps open nearly instantly, navigating Windows is smooth, and web browsing is a snap. The UI flies on the 144 Hz screen and animations are very fluid. The Omen 17t is able to power through most workloads with relative ease.

Storage Devices

The Omen 17t uses Samsung's PM981 as its boot drive, which is one of the fastest NVMe drives available today. Write speeds are consequently fast, but read speeds are on the slower side. Otherwise, the drive is snappy. Opening heavy apps shouldn't take long, and load times in most games are quick.

The 1 TB mechanical HDD used for mass storage is about average for a 7200 RPM drive. Both the boot drive and mass storage drive are easily accessible. Unfortunately, the empty space occupied by the optical drive in earlier models cannot be used to house a third drive.

GPU Performance

Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1070 is a solid choice for high-end gaming laptops aiming for affordability. While the GTX 1080 is about 35-40% faster (as measured by Fire Strike), it is also much more expensive and comes with the additional cost of increased energy consumption and heat output. Because of its GPU, the Omen 17t can (mostly) take advantage of its high-refresh rate display while keeping heat and fan noise at bay. HP can also price the device more competitively.

That said, the GTX 1070 in our machine is a bit below the average GTX 1070-powered gaming laptop. The GPU cannot be overclocked (at least through any stock software). Still, all but the most graphically intensive tasks should be well-handled by the Omen 17t. Nvidia's GTX 1070 Max-Q falls about 10-12% behind the Omen, and the GTX 1060 manages a little more than two-thirds the 1070's performance. The Aorus X9 DT, with its GTX 1080, is significantly more powerful for 3D rendering, but it is also much louder, hotter, and more expensive.

For more information about the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070, please see our dedicated GPU page here.

Gaming Performance

The Omen 17t fits in well with other Full HD gaming laptops, but its high-refresh rate display sweetens the package. Most modern titles will hit 60-75 FPS at Ultra settings, Full HD. To fully take advantage of the 144 Hz panel, users may want to dial settings back a bit. For example, Rise of the Tomb Raider averages about 100 FPS at FHD/High settings, and gameplay glides across the screen. Lighter and more competitive titles like Rocket League and CS:GO will easily shoot past 144 frames per second, even when settings are turned all the way up. This is good news, as the high refresh rate is best suited for games that require quick reactions.

Stress Test

One area where the Omen 17t excels is stress management. When under full synthetic load via Prime95, the CPU remains consistent at 3.2 GHz and 72° C. The story is very similar for the GPU; after running FurMark for an hour, the GPU stayed steady at 1265 MHz and 66° C. Both tests showed impressive internal temperatures, which helped keep fan noise down as well. Loading both the CPU and GPU causes some oscillation in CPU performance; the Core i7-8750H bounces between 3.1-3.2 GHz in a regular pattern, as does its core temperature, which fluctuates between 80-90° C. The GPU pushes on, hitting 1300 MHz and 67° C.

Under a real-world load (e.g., an hour-long playthrough of The Witcher 3), the CPU and GPU show remarkable consistency. Both the processor and graphics card settle in at 3.9 GHz and 1635 MHz, respectively, and refuse to budge. GPU temperature holds steady at 67° C. The CPU's core temperature tends to fluctuate a bit; while the silicon averages about 75-80° C, it spikes to about 95-98° C intermittently before falling back down. Overall, the Omen 17t's consistency under stress is admirable.

Prime95

FurMark

Prime95 + FurMark

The Witcher 3

CPU Clock (GHz)

GPU Clock (MHz)

Average CPU Temperature (°C)

Average GPU Temperature (°C)

Prime95 Stress

3.2

-

72

-

FurMark Stress

4.0

1265

70

66

Prime95 + FurMark Stress

3.1

1300

88

67

Witcher 3 Stress

3.9

1635

80

67

Emissions

System Noise

Fan noise profile

One would think that such steady performance under load would generate quite a bit of fan noise, but that is not the case with the Omen 17t. The dual fans can get loud, peaking at about 46.5 dB(A), but average noise when gaming falls between 42-44 dB(A). The fans' level pitch helps them blend in under other noises, including the machine's speakers. The fans can be heard from a normal use distance, but those more than about four feet away from the device won't be able to hear them. Considering most high-end gaming laptops are infamous for their loud, high-pitched fans, this is a definite mark in the Omen 17t's favor. There is no noticeable coil whine or other system noise.

Temperature

Heat Exhaust

Despite the CPU and GPU maintaining high levels of performance under load and the relatively quiet fans, the surfaces that come into contact with the user do not get hot. Under full load, the keyboard gets warm but never uncomfortable. There is a "hot spot" in the middle of the keyboard (between the H, J, and N keys) which is directly above the CPU and GPU. The back vents along the underside get toasty (~55° C), so lap use should be avoided when pushing the hardware. Under normal gameplay conditions, temperatures across the keyboard stay well-managed, averaging about 35-40° C along the top. The WASD keys, where most gamers' hands will rest, never feel too warm for comfort.

(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 35.1 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 32.9 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Gaming.(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 44.2 °C / 112 F, compared to the average of 39.2 °C / 103 F, ranging from 21.6 to 68.8 °C for the class Gaming.(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 55.8 °C / 132 F, compared to the average of 41.6 °C / 107 F(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.5 °C / 83 F, compared to the device average of 32.9 °C / 91 F.(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 32.9 °C / 91 F, compared to the device average of 32.9 °C / 91 F.(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 28.2 °C / 82.8 F and are therefore cool to the touch. (±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.7 °C / 83.7 F (+0.5 °C / 0.9 F).

Speakers

Speaker profile

The Omen 17t does have some weak points, and the speakers are perhaps the most glaring. The dual drivers situated along the front of the machine get reasonably loud at 73 dB, but there is an unfortunate rattling present when volume goes past 65%. Music and sounds are affected at this level, leaving a bad overall impression. The lack of a subwoofer, something included with some other large gaming laptops, makes the overall sound profile thin and weak. Headphones are highly recommended, but to make a bad taste even worse, the only audio-out port is a headset jack; a dedicated headphone DAC or S/PDIF port would have been a welcome addition.

Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)

HP Omen 17t-3AW55AV_1 audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (72.78 dB)Bass 100 - 315 Hz(-) | nearly no bass - on average 17.6% lower than median(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.3% delta to prev. frequency)Mids 400 - 2000 Hz(+) | balanced mids - only 2% away from median(+) | mids are linear (5.2% delta to prev. frequency)Highs 2 - 16 kHz(+) | balanced highs - only 2.4% away from median(+) | highs are linear (6.5% delta to prev. frequency)Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz(+) | overall sound is linear (14.5% difference to median)Compared to same class» 36% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 60% worse» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 17%, worst was 37%Compared to all devices tested» 14% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 83% worse» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 21%, worst was 53%

MSI GE73 8RF-008 Raider RGB audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (93 dB)Bass 100 - 315 Hz(±) | reduced bass - on average 6.6% lower than median(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.3% delta to prev. frequency)Mids 400 - 2000 Hz(+) | balanced mids - only 4.5% away from median(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.2% delta to prev. frequency)Highs 2 - 16 kHz(+) | balanced highs - only 3.8% away from median(+) | highs are linear (4.7% delta to prev. frequency)Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz(+) | overall sound is linear (8.5% difference to median)Compared to same class» 2% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 97% worse» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 17%, worst was 37%Compared to all devices tested» 1% of all tested devices were better, 0% similar, 98% worse» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 21%, worst was 53%

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Prime95

Average power consumption under load is a bit higher than similarly-specced laptops (namely the Asus G752VS and MSI GE73 Raider). Interestingly, the Omen 17t draws less power than these machines when under full load. While gaming, users can expect the Omen 17t to pull about 165-170 Watts from the wall, well within the 220 Watt rating of the included power supply.

Battery Life

Due to the 144 Hz G-Sync display, Nvidia's Optimus is not available on the Omen 17t. As a result, battery life is a definite weak point of the machine. Under normal use, tested using our WiFi v1.3 battery test, the Omen 17t only manages to last about 4 hours 15 minutes. Even when idle, the Omen gives up the ghost after 4.5 hours. This isn't unexpected for this segment of the market, however; similar machines post similar run times. The 86 Wh battery is able to power through gaming sessions for about 1.5 hours, so the power adapter is a requirement when out and about.

Verdict

The story of the Omen 17t is one of balance. The machine's components compliment each other well, resulting in an overall excellent package with little room for complaint. The display is bright with good color reproduction. The powerful CPU and GPU are well-tuned for gaming at Full HD. The keyboard and build quality are excellent, and the selection of ports is ample. To top it off, heat management and fan noise are both above average for this category.

The standout feature here is the 144 Hz panel. High-refresh rate displays, which were commonly relegated to expensive notebooks in the past, are slowly creeping their way into lower-priced devices, and the Omen 17t is an excellent example of the quality that can be had at this price point. While the Omen 17t is by no means a "budget laptop," it is priced more aggressively than most of its competitors, especially those that boast a high-refresh rate display.

The Omen 17t does have some weaknesses. In particular, battery life is poor (due to the lack of Optimus) and the speakers are abhorrent (thanks to the unpleasant rattle at higher volumes). Also, the Samsung PM981 boot drive exhibits some odd behavior, but this may be specific to our unit. HP also misstepped by not using the additional space made available by the removal of the optical drive. All of these downfalls are not critical for a gaming laptop, however.

In sum, the HP Omen 17t is a well-built package that feels thoughtfully designed. The 144 Hz display is a nice feature at this price point, and the internals are (mostly) able to take advantage of the higher refresh rate and G-Sync. The Omen 17t is a good example of a "jack of all trades, master of some" gaming laptop, and its competitive pricing makes it worth considering.

I've been a "tech-head" my entire life. After graduating college with a degree in Mathematics, I worked in finance and banking a few years before taking a job as a Systems Analyst for my local school district. I started working with Notebookcheck in October of 2016 and have enjoyed writing news articles and notebook reviews. My areas of interest include the business side of technology, retro gaming, Linux, and innovative gadgets. When I'm not hunched over an electronic device or writing code for a new database, I'm either outside with my family, playing a decade-old video game, or sitting behind a drum set.